Vladimir Putin has apparently eliminated another opponent.
Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, the opposition leader and anti-corruption activist who has battled the Putin regime for more than a decade, has suddenly and suspiciously died in a prison inside the Arctic Circle, after appearing healthy and jovial one day prior. Not since the November 2015 assassination of Boris Nemtsov has such a prominent opposition leader been killed.
On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks with Jeff Mankoff, a Distinguished Research Fellow at National Defense University’s Institute for National Strategic Studies and author of the recently published book Empires of Eurasia: How Imperial Legacies Shape International Security, about the implications.
Also on the podcast, we discuss Ukraine’s strategy of striking Russian naval assets in the Black Sea and Crimea.
Enjoy…
SHOW NOTES
The audio clip opening the podcast is composed of a series of speeches and statements by Aleksei Navalnyy. The translations from Russian are as follows:
“This is my home. I came back here. People ask me if I am afraid. I am not afraid…This is my home. I came back here. People ask me if I am afraid. I am not afraid…The European Court recognized that it was a politically motivated arrest and prosecution which was very important not just for me but for people all across Russia who are arrested every day.”
The audio clip opening the second half of the podcast comes from a speech by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on February 14, 2024. The translation from Ukrainian is as follows:
“I thank the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the warriors of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine – Group 13 of the 9th Department. Today we have increased security in the Black Sea and added motivation to our people. This is important. Step by step we will clear the Black Sea of Russian terrorist objects.”
Jeff Mankoff’s published works can be accessed here and here. His book, Empires of Eurasia: How Imperial Legacies Shape International Security, can be purchased here.